"Merciful God, you welcome new souls into a place of eternal light and happiness, to join the fellowship of the saints in Heaven; when the Lord Jesus comes for the second time, those who died in Christ shall rise first from their graves, to enjoy eternal life."

"Amen."

The priest kissed the silver cross. Faint daylight passed through the church's high stained-glass windows, casting a beam onto the black-lacquered pine coffin. A white woman in a black veil squatted down, covering her mouth with a cold hand to stifle a sob, and hugged the little boy beside her.

"…Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Does God love all people?"

"God..." The woman took a shaky deep breath, and said hoarsely, "God loves all beings, so he gave his only son, so that all who believe in him shall not perish, but have eternal life…"

"Then why have we lost our freedom, been plundered and imprisoned?"

"..."

"Are people born unequal?"

The great doors behind the woman were suddenly smashed open. Countless figures rushed into the church, silhouetted against the light, and a cacophony of shouts and screams erupted. The woman only had time to snatch the pendant from her neck and shove it into the little boy's hand before she was seized by several heavily armed soldiers and forcibly dragged backward.

"Run, run!" The woman's shouts pierced through the chaos as she struggled. "Run, get out of here!"

"Don't look back, don't give up!"

"Mama loves you!..."

With a great roar, the church collapsed. Flames, in black and white, shot up into the hazy sky. Screams and sobs faded to nothing, and the wind carried the ashes, scattering them over the vast, desolate land.

The little boy ran across an open field, with soldiers and hounds in hot pursuit. Ahead, a sea of lights gradually appeared as a massive city materialized at the bottom of a cliff. Amidst the angry, startled shouts of his pursuers, the boy took a leap!

The wild wind whistled past his ears, lifting the pendant from his chest.

As he plummeted, the little boy closed his eyes. The last thing reflected in his dark pupils was a solitary, cold, and endless night.

'Those who are dead shall be resurrected and enjoy eternal life—'

He said in his heart:

'Amen.'

·

The year 2019, T City.

"...Ah...!"

In the darkness, a young man sat up, and in the next instant, a sharp pain shot through every nerve like an electric current. The resulting dizziness made him retch.

However, his stomach, empty for a day, had nothing to bring up; nothing happened except for the violent clenching of his insides. After a long moment, he finally calmed down, panting. His vision struggled to focus, and what he saw was a small, dark cell, with a faint light coming from beyond the iron bars.

'...What is this place? A prison?'

'How did I get here?'

He tried to search his chaotic mind for any useful information, but he couldn't even remember his own name. The slightest thought brought on an unbearable headache. Just as he was trying to get off the low cot, he suddenly heard footsteps and voices from outside the cell door.

"...Searched the whole city for three days and didn't find many living people. Is it because the scent of an Omega is particularly attractive to Zombies..."

"I heard it's the same for Alphas. Only useless Betas are relatively safe."

"Forget it, these few Omegas are enough to complete the mission..."

An iron lock clanged, followed by the sharp screech of the cell door opening. Two soldiers entered the cell. By the dim light in the corridor, they could vaguely see a slender figure lying on his back on the cot, lifeless, his chest not even rising or falling.

"He can't be dead, can he?"

A finger wearing a half-finger glove reached under his nose, then expertly checked for a pulse on his neck.

"Unconscious," the soldier said. "He was like this when we found him. A rare good-looking one."

His companion laughed, "Come on, you can tell with a face full of mud and ash?"

"I could tell through eighteen layers of it."

"You're that desperate, huh!"

"Aren't you?"

"Even if I am, it's no use. It's not like you or I will get to enjoy him..."

The young man's eyes were tightly shut, like a senseless corpse. He felt himself being lifted up into someone's arms and carried out of the cell.

Amidst the jolting, he cracked his eyelids open slightly. Because of his narrow field of vision, he could only see that the person carrying him was dressed in a Kevlar protective suit, his arm muscles hard and solid. The companion behind him was dressed similarly, tall and sturdy, wearing work boots, with a black holster strapped conspicuously to his thigh.

'Two Alphas.'

The shadows at a turn in the stone corridor fell over the young man's face, and he silently closed his eyes again. The two soldiers then entered an elevator. It ascended and stopped, opening to a blast of bright light and clamor.

Someone was running by, shouting: "Organize the supplies! Prepare to retreat! The base's helicopter is on standby on the rooftop!"

"The city has fallen, there's no time!"

"Go, go, go!"

The empty-handed companion behind the soldier responded and left. The young man's pupils narrowed slightly. 'Now is the time.'

"Get the Omegas on the helicopter, don't let them escape, transport them back to the base..."

The soldier was about to reply in the affirmative when he suddenly felt the young Omega in his arms shift, leaning out of his embrace toward the ground—

His first instinct was to bend down to catch him, but in that instant, the young man, who had been as still as a corpse in a deep coma, reached the holster on the soldier's lower back, drew the gun, and landed on one knee!

The turn of events was so sudden that before the soldier could let out a roar of anger, the young man swept his leg out in a flash and knocked him to the ground!

Bang!

"What's going on?"

"Stop!"

Gasps erupted from all around. The young man grabbed the Alpha soldier's hair and slammed his head hard against the ground, then hauled the blood-covered soldier up, pressing the muzzle of the gun to his temple and using him as a shield. "...Back..."

He wanted to say 'back off, don't move,' but the long coma had left his throat hoarse. A few seconds later, he managed to gasp out a sharp order, "Stay back! Drop your weapons!"

All the approaching soldiers in the hall paled and stopped in their tracks, forming a fan-shaped encirclement. The atmosphere was incredibly tense.

"Lieutenant Colonel, there's an emergency—"

Tang Hao hung up the phone and looked up, "What?"

"An Omega is fighting back," the adjutant pointed to the hall not far away, his face a mask of shock and anger. "He's taken one of our men hostage and is trying to escape!"

The young man's ragged, suppressed panting mixed with the Alpha soldier's trembling breaths. Feeling the cold muzzle against his temple, the soldier couldn't help but swallow several mouthfuls of bloody saliva, croaking, "Let... let go of me. You can't escape... Ah!"

The young man's iron-like hand clamped down on his throat. "—Shut up."

This was the prison's common area, a circular hall, but it was now filled with heavily armed soldiers. A quick glance from the corner of his eye told the young man there were at least a hundred of them. Outside the encirclement, the ground was littered with first-aid equipment and stretchers covered in white sheets; it was impossible to see how many bodies there were. The air was thick with an indescribable mix of gunpowder, burnt carbon, blood, and rotting flesh.

'What is this, a riot?'

'A war?'

'Who am I? Why on earth am I here?'

The exit at the far end of the hall was blocked by a solid metal shutter. The gatehouse was a small office, and from it, an extremely tall man with a slightly dark complexion, dressed in camouflage, pushed the door open and strode forward with purpose.

The young man backed away step by step, his wary eyes nailed to the man's face. The man parted the crowd and walked forward, stopping a few paces away. As he raised his hand to draw the pistol from his hip, the lieutenant colonel's insignia on his jacket became visible.

"Let my man go." Tang Hao looked at the young Omega who had backed into a corner. Though he was from the special forces and had a lean, strong build, his voice was deliberately moderated when he spoke so as not to create too much pressure. "—We're the ones who saved you. The city has fallen. You can't escape."

The young man closed his eyes under his intense gaze, then opened them again. "Who are you people?"

Tang Hao didn't answer his question directly. "Our mission is to search for and protect Omegas, who are a precious strategic resource, and escort you safely back to the base. You are not in any danger. The base is ready to receive you, and you'll soon be transferred to a safe zone..."

'There are no safe zones left,' a voice in his subconscious told him.

'Not just this city, but the entire country, and even the whole world, has fallen.'

The young man froze slightly, not understanding where that sad realization came from.

"Let your hostage go, and we'll pretend this never happened. If my soldiers were disrespectful to you, I can apologize on their behalf..."

"No... no." The young man cut Tang Hao off. He was pressed against the wall, panting heavily and shaking his head. "Put down your guns and let me leave. I have to... right now..."

Tang Hao was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed.

Wails suddenly echoed from inside the prison building, surprisingly close. Then came the scraping sound of countless dragging feet, drawing nearer. The iron shutter in the distance began to clang from constant, heavy blows!

Dust and debris rained down from the walls. Everyone's expression changed drastically. The adjutant roared, "Lieutenant Colonel! The main gate downstairs has been breached! The Zombies are coming up!"

The young man shouted, "Drop your guns!"

"Lieutenant Colonel!"

"Let me go—!"

Tang Hao turned his head and raised his hand, firing several shots!

Taser darts, flashing with blue light, rained down on both the Alpha soldier hostage and the young man. The intense pain from the electric shock made the young man collapse to his knees and then fall over, losing consciousness for several seconds.

A sudden weight fell on his chest, as if pinned by a massive boulder; it was Tang Hao, who had come forward and pressed a knee into his chest. The young man coughed violently, spitting up bloody foam. He raised a hand, but Tang Hao easily caught his wrist and pinned it to the floor. The electricity still coursing through him made his twitching muscles too weak to even tense up.

"..." Tang Hao silently cursed, his expression a bit flustered—not because of the fight, but because of the blood splattered by the Omega beneath him.

Even covered in dirt and ash, the young man's handsome, sharp features couldn't be hidden. His profile wasn't soft like a typical Omega's, but rather deeper and more defined, with sharp brows, bright eyes, and a straight nose. The line from his jaw to his neck was a perfect, clean curve.

The Pheromone-rich blood splattered onto the cuff of Tang Hao's combat uniform; it felt like a sharp lash against an Alpha's frayed nerve endings, causing an ineffable stimulation to surge up from his instincts.

"The apocalypse will be hell for Omegas. If you leave now, the living people outside will be more terrifying than the Zombies. Especially one like you," Tang Hao wiped his thumb hard against the young man's cheek. The skin revealed beneath the dirt was startlingly fair.

"You won't even survive the night. Maybe being eaten alive by a pile of Zombies would be the most merciful way to die."

"Someone take him away! Full retreat!" As if to cover up his instinctive reaction, Tang Hao abruptly stood up and started to walk away.

Just then, he saw the expressions of the soldiers opposite him change. Before he could react, he felt a strong force on his ankle, and in the next second, he was pulled down, falling headfirst—

"Fuck!"

Tang Hao was almost slammed into a concussion. The curse he'd been holding back for so long finally escaped.

He couldn't believe the taser darts had worn off the Omega in just a dozen seconds. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young man pick up the gun, lean down to his ear, and say in a very husky voice that was almost directly against his earlobe, "I prefer to die of old age."

The young man pulled the magazine from Tang Hao's pocket, quickly got up, and pointed the gun back and forth at the soldiers in the encirclement as he quickly retreated toward the window.

Tang Hao seemed to realize something and roared, "No—"

But it was too late.

Before everyone's eyes, the young man smashed through the glass window and leaped out amidst a shower of shattered glass.

—This was the third floor!

Tang Hao rushed to the window like an arrow, soldiers swarming behind him. Time seemed to stretch and freeze. In mid-air, the young man's lean figure twisted and arched, like a bowstring pulled taut to its limit, his black hair flying back.

Bang!

Despite the distance, the dull thud of his landing seemed to echo heavily in Tang Hao's ears.

The young man landed in a crouch and rolled with the impact, as precise and perfect as something out of a tactical textbook. He came up into a kneel, raising the gun with both hands!

'Does this person really have some kind of background?!'

A look of unconcealable confusion finally appeared in Tang Hao's eyes. He heard his subordinate ask urgently, "Lieutenant Colonel, should we pursue?"

Tang Hao held out a hand to stop them—it was too late.

Following his gaze, they saw that in the parking lot below, a dozen or so Zombies that hadn't entered the prison building turned in unison, dropping the bloody remains in their hands, and began to shuffle toward the young man.

The young man didn't seem to expect this and froze for a moment when faced with the living dead. At the same time, Tang Hao snatched a gun from a soldier beside him and, without even looking, pulled the trigger. A Zombie just a few steps from the young man was shot in the center of its forehead.

Bang—

The living dead fell, its body, already covered in lividity, stiffening. Dark purple, viscous blood slowly pooled on the filthy ground, snaking toward a nearby sewer grate that was overflowing with stinking water from a days-long blockage.

But the other living dead were oblivious, merely wailing as they staggered forward.

"Get bitten and you're infected!" Tang Hao's roar came from above. "You have to hit the head!!"

Before his voice had even faded, the young man snapped into motion, as if waking from some confused, bewildering dream—

Tang Hao barely saw him move. In the blink of an eye, he shot out like a whirlwind. As he brushed past the second Zombie, it didn't even have time to raise a hand to stop him before a blur swept past and leaped into the air.

The young man stepped on the shoulder of a third Zombie—a felon who had escaped during the outbreak, half of his face torn off, revealing decaying sharp teeth amidst the blackish-red rotting flesh—and then fired several quick shots. The heads of the first few Zombies in the swarming horde, which were reaching for him, exploded.

However, more of the living dead pushed forward. Tang Hao could see clearly from the third-floor window ledge; even the Zombies wandering on the street were now flocking over in droves!

—He didn't have enough bullets!

Without a hint of hesitation or fear, the young man dodged and leaped. He practically ran across the heads and shoulders of the Zombies, each step as fast as lightning and incredibly perilous. Within seconds, he had crossed the tangled forest of the undead horde and landed on one knee at the edge of the driveway outside the prison gate.

Tang Hao instantly understood what he was going to do and raised an eyebrow.

Just as he expected, the young man didn't even pause. He shot up like a cannonball and rushed toward the nearest car.

It was an ordinary Toyota Camry with both front and back doors wide open. The driver was now a middle-aged male corpse with a bloody face, howling miserably while restrained by his seatbelt, his ten purplish fingers clawing blankly at the air.

The horde of Zombies turned to give chase, their heavy footsteps drawing closer. Without a backward glance, the young man shot the driver in the head, lifted the corpse, tossed it out of the car, twisted into the driver's seat, and slammed the door shut with a crisp click.

The male corpse crashed into the horde, tripping the nearest few living dead. In the distance, Tang Hao lowered his binoculars, his expression slightly grim.

"Lieutenant Colonel, we have to retreat immediately, the shutter is..."

The solid iron shutter at the end of the hall, which had been teetering under the tireless pounding of the Zombies, finally gave way. With chunks of concrete raining down, it was torn open with a nerve-shattering screech.

A tide of ragged, bloodied Zombies poured in. The front line of soldiers opened fire, and the prison hall instantly became a slaughterhouse of flying flesh and blood!

Tang Hao strode forward, shrugged his shoulders, and unslung the fully automatic MP5 submachine gun from his back. A storm of bullets rained down on the Zombies crawling into the hall. Rows of the living dead were sent flying backward by the immense impact of the 9mm Luger rounds.

"Lieutenant Colonel!"

Tang Hao retreated while fighting, without looking back. He gave a sharp downward wave with his left hand. "Go!"

The soldiers retreated quickly through the security stairwell. At the last moment before crossing the threshold, Tang Hao's gaze shifted from the terrifying faces of the living dead just meters away to the scene outside the large window—

On the street filled with Zombies, rubble, and wrecked cars, the silver Camry was like an arrow cleaving through a wave of blood, forging a path ahead before quickly disappearing at the end of the flame-engulfed street.

Tang Hao retracted his gaze and slammed the security stairwell door shut with a powerful kick, blocking the swarming Zombies in the hall. As the soldiers rushed toward the rooftop, he turned, and in that instant, he caught a faint scent. His Adam's apple bobbed sharply in his strong neck.

—It was the scent of Omega Pheromones, bloody, sweet, and enticing, coming from the cuff of his camouflage uniform.

"Lieutenant Colonel?" a soldier asked.

Tang Hao took the stairs two at a time and pointed to the bloodstain on his sleeve with the muzzle of his gun:

"After we get back to the base, extract the DNA and run a comparison against T City's population information registry. I want to know this Omega's background."

His subordinate nodded.